Everybody knows what meditation is (or should be), but only some of us take the time and effort to turn it into a regular practice.
If you are struggling to change habits and switch from mobile phones to healthier practices, you are in the right place. This article will introduce you to less popular benefits of meditation: the development of communication skills. Such skills could improve not only your private life but also your professional life.
Here is how.
Make Room for Other Perspectives
The most common misconception about meditation is that it implies “emptying your mind” from thoughts. However, meditation doesn’t do that. Instead, meditation teaches you to observe and not act on your thoughts.
Once you learn to do that, you will realize that there is a big difference between reality and what we think it is. By realizing that we all have our own (mis)conceptions about reality, you will learn that there isn’t that much of a difference between your (mis)conceptions and those of other people. They are all just that: conceptions. Nothing more than that.
Such a realization is extremely subtle, yet very powerful. Imagine being in a space where you can let other people think whatever they want and not having the constant need to adjust, change, or interfere with that! It could have major implications, for both your intimate relationships and your career development.
Stress Relief
In a way, stress relief is a direct consequence of the previously mentioned benefit. By realizing that thoughts are our version of the truth, and not the truth itself, we tend to take disagreements less seriously. Therefore, we find ourselves arguing less and not obsessing about what we think reality should be.
Besides, another famous misconception says that having good control over your emotions means suppressing them. However, psychology teaches us that control over emotions doesn’t mean changing or losing them, but rather learning not to act upon them.
And meditation is extremely helpful with that. By learning to observe our emotions, we learn to outrun impulsive decisions and reactions. In such a way, we slowly build a more balanced approach to other people and become more pleasant to be around.
And as you can imagine, the health benefits of reducing stress are countless.
Learn to Auto-Generate Love and Kindness
Meditation literally teaches us that love is in the air. Namely, meditation is all about focusing on your breath, again, not in order to escape your mind, but in order to learn to feel prana. In Sanskrit, prana refers to the cosmic energy that powers life, but it also means breath and love.
In other words, by teaching us to focus on breathing, meditation actually tries to show us that we don’t need to wait for others to love us in order to feel love. Instead, we can generate love and kindness from within.
Express Emotions More Easily
This one is simple: a regular practice in observing what is going on in your mind and your heart will teach you to listen to yourself more carefully. The result of persistent dedication to your inner self is an increase in emotional intelligence. By learning to feel and let them go, in time, you will also learn to name your emotions and communicate with others more easily.
Throat Chakra: Balance and Communication
According to the yogis, our communication is powered by the energy concentrated in our throats. This energy gets blocked if we keep saying negative, false, or mean things. If the chakra gets blocked, this could result in a frequent sore throat or thyroid dysfunction.
If you have symptoms such as bleeding gums, repeatedly sore throat, or thyroid problems, these might be warnings that your communication is out of balance. Not more than fifteen minutes of meditation should be of great help.
Additionally, you can try reducing cursing for some time. Or, you can try expressing some things you might not be used to. If you are angry, don’t lash out, but say it. If you meet a person you think is beautiful, tell them that! Sometimes, it is easier than you think.